Afghanistan

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on the appointment of a special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: As my right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary informed the House earlier, we understand the need to have in place a UN Special Representative able to undertake with real authority the co-ordination of the international effort to improve Afghan security and reconstruction. We are talking to the United Nations and working towards the appointment of a Special Representative as a matter of urgency.
	The appointment is a matter for the UN Secretary-General. His spokesperson said on 8 February that work was ongoing. We hope an early appointment will be made, to allow more effective co-ordination of the international effort.

Middle East Peace Process

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking in support of the middle east peace process; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government support the political, economic and security elements of the peace process. We are committed to taking forward the Annapolis process to achieve a two state solution. In support of the Palestinian economy, we committed up to £243 million over three years, linked to political progress. We will co-sponsor the Bethlehem Private Investors Conference and host the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee in London. We are contributing to security sector reform.

Homosexuality

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to other countries on the decriminalisation of homosexuality in those countries where it is illegal.

Meg Munn: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials have been active in promoting and protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in line with UK international policy. This is especially important in countries where same sex relationships are illegal, or there are moves to introduce criminalisation, where we seek ways to raise the issue and lobby for decriminalisation.
	In May 2007, my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Mr. Ian McCartney) and I, as the then Minister for Women and Equality, issued a joint statement pledging our support for the worldwide protests against homophobia planned to mark the International Day against Homophobia (17 May).
	Our High Commissioner in Singapore made representations to Singapore's Attorney-General on 26 October 2007 about various human rights issues, including the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
	The UK has long been at the forefront of encouraging the EU to speak out in favour of promoting and protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. At the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in September 2007, the EU condemned the fact that relationships between adults of the same sex are criminal in two participating states, namely Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The EU also called on all participating states to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people without discrimination.
	Over the last year we have lobbied in support of the UN-Economic and Social Council continuing to grant consultative status to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered non-governmental organisations and we also lobbied to persuade Rwanda not to criminalise same sex acts in the revised penal code, and Nigeria not to outlaw advocacy in favour of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered rights.

Indonesia: Censorship

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Indonesia on the banning and seizure of the book The Sinking of the Melanesian Race: The Political Struggle in West Papua, by West Papuan academic, Sendius Wonda.

Meg Munn: The human rights situation in Indonesia has improved over the last 10 years and we judge that the government remains committed to further progress, as indicated by its 2006 accession to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. We recognise that challenges remain and our embassy in Jakarta closely follows the situation in Papua, particularly concerning civil society work on human rights and freedom of expression. We will continue to encourage the Indonesian government to respect their international obligations in this regard. We remain firm in our commitment to freedom of expression, but do not believe that making representations to the Indonesian government on incidents such as the banning of Sendius Wonda's book would be as effective as the wide ranging engagement we have with Indonesia on human rights.

Children: Databases

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of the security of the eCaf system;
	(2)  what assessment he has been made of the effectiveness of the interchange of information between ContactPoint and eCaf;
	(3)  what consultation took place on eCaf with the consultees of ContactPoint.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 22 November 2007
	Security measures are a fundamental component of the national eCaf system design and all proposed security requirements have been reviewed by the Department's IT Security Officer.
	When a common assessment is undertaken and fogged on the national eCaf system, it will automatically notify ContactPoint that an assessment has been carried out along with contact details of the practitioner that can provide information about the assessment (usually the practitioner who performed the assessment. This will help to prevent duplication of effort, allow practitioners to make more informed decisions and respond in a coordinated way. There will be no access to the common assessment, nor any details within it, from ContactPoint. ContactPoint will be provided with limited information (which does not include any case information) extracted from the national eCaf and other systems using a one-way process. ContactPoint will not update the case record systems.
	As with ContactPoint, the development of the national eCaf system had significant input from a range of practitioners and managers across a wide range of children's services. Some of these individuals have been involved in the development of both systems.

Children: Day Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what information his Department collects on the qualifications of existing child care and early years workers in registered settings.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 12 November 2007
	Data on the qualifications of existing child care and early years workers in registered settings is collected as part of the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey.
	This data source is a nationally representative survey of registered Childcare and Early Years Providers, commissioned by the Department. The survey began in 1998 and was repeated in 2001, 2002-03, 2005 and 2006. The survey is also commissioned to take place in 2007 and 2008.
	The 2006 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey shows that the workforce is becoming better qualified across all provider types. There has been a rise in supervisory staff in settings coinciding with a rise in staff qualifications. Over 70 per cent. of all paid staff in full day care, and early years settings in maintained schools hold at least a Level 3 qualification, while in children's centres this rises to over 80 per cent. of staff. The proportion of staff with a Level 3 qualification or above in full day care is 10 percentage points higher than in 2005.

Children: Day Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the proportion of three to four-year-olds in workless families for whom the entitlement to 12.5 hours of formal childcare per week was taken up in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 24 January 2008
	The 2007 Parents' Childcare Survey collected information about take-up of the free entitlement for three and four-year-olds to 12.5 hours of formal child care per week, by child and family characteristics. This will allow an estimate to be made of the proportion of three to four-year-olds in workless families who had taken-up this entitlement.
	The findings from the 2007 survey will be published in late February 2008.
	Estimates are not available for earlier years as questions about the take-up of the free entitlement to early years education for three and four-year-olds were not asked in previous surveys.

Class Sizes

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average pupil/teacher ratio was in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Cornwall, (ii) the South West and (iii) England in each year since 2001.

Jim Knight: The available figures are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Pupil: teacher ratios at primary and secondary schools in Cornwall local authority (LA), the south-west Government office region (GOR) and England, 2001-07 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Primary
			 Cornwall LA 22.9 22.3 22.4 22.6 22.6 22.1 22.1 
			 South-west GOR 23.0 22.4 22.4 22.6 22.5 21.8 21.6 
			 England 22.9 22.5 22.6 22.7 22.5 22.0 21.8 
			 
			 Secondary
			 Cornwall LA 18.0 17.8 17.6 17.6 17.5 16.9 16.7 
			 South-west GOR 17.5 17.3 17.2 17.3 16.9 16.7 16.6 
			 England 17.1 16.9 17.0 17.0 16.7 16.6 16.5 
			  Source:  Schools Census 
		
	
	Information on pupil: teacher ratios in each local authority are published annually by the Department. From 2005 the figures can be found in the Statistical First Release 'School Workforce in England', the latest of which can be accessed at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000743/index.shtml
	Figures for 2004 and earlier were published in the Statistical Volume 'Statistics of Education Schools in England '. The 2004 edition can be accessed at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000495/index.shtml
	Equivalent publications are available for earlier years.

Computers: Disadvantaged

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government have taken to widen accessibility to computers and the internet for low-income families since 1997.

Jim Knight: The Government recognise the importance of closing the gap between the number of people with access to information technology and those without, commonly known as the 'digital divide'.
	Since 1997 we have run a range of education related programmes to widen accessibility to computers and the internet for low-income families, and these have provided hardware, connectivity and training both into homes and into the local community. In 2001, for example, we opened the first UK Online centres to provide community level access to computers, the internet as well as advice and training in how to use them. There is now a network of over 6,000 centres across the country in libraries, community centres and other accessible buildings.
	We also supported cross government initiatives such as the seven point action plan to close the digital divide identified in "Connecting the UK: The Strategy for a Digitally Rich Nation" and were one of the main contributors to the plan's national digital challenge for a region to give universal online access to local public services by 2008.
	We have concentrated our efforts on young learners and in school the level of access has increased significantly. In a primary school for example, 19 children had to share one computer in 1997 whereas now there is one computer for every 6.2 children and through our extended schools' programme and our support for the e-learning foundation we have helped schools to provide children with access beyond the school day.
	In 2005 we started a £60 million Computers for Pupils programme to put ICT into the homes of the most disadvantaged secondary school pupils in the most deprived areas of the country and last year I established the Home Access Taskforce with representation from industry, education and the third sector. The Taskforce is due to report in April this year on how we might ensure that every family with 5 to 19-year-old learners in England has access to affordable ICT resources and support at home—and I recently announced an additional £30 million to provide further support under the Computers for Pupils programme until the task force proposals can be assessed and if appropriate, implemented.

Departmental Manpower

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many people have been appointed to his Department outside civil service grades in the last 30 days;
	(2)  many people have been appointed to his Department outside civil service grades in the last 30 days.

Kevin Brennan: The Department has not made any permanent or temporary appointments outside civil service grade during the period described.

Departmental Public Consultation

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many responses he has received to his Department's time to talk consultation.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 19 November 2007
	The Department's Time to Talk consultation ran from 6 September to 19 October. I received over 3,000 responses from young people and adults, including public, private and voluntary sector bodies, A total of over 400 people also participated in consultation events in Bristol, Leeds, London, Birmingham and Portsmouth.

Education: Assessments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children entitled to free school meals achieved a level four or above in every Key Stage 2 exam in 2006, broken down by  (a) region and  (b) local authority.

Jim Knight: This information has been published as part of a supplement to the "National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics in England 2005/06 (Provisional)" Statistical First Release (SFR) found at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000693/index.shtml
	The additional publication "Local Authority tables showing achievements at Key Stage 2, by ethnicity, English as a first Language, free school meals and special education needs" to this SFR contains the data requested by Mr. Frank Field and is found at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000693/Addition4.xls
	I draw your attention to tables 62 (Achievements at Key Stage 2 English Level 4 and above in 2006, for Local Authorities, by Free School Meal provision and gender), 63 (Achievements at Key Stage 2 Mathematics Level 4 and above in 2006, for Local Authorities, by Free School Meal provision and gender) and 64 (Achievements at Key Stage 2 Science Level 4 and above in 2006, for Local Authorities, by Free School Meal provision and gender).

Education: Kent

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funds in the form of  (a) revenue payments,  (b) capital grants and  (c) supported borrowing for which his Department is responsible have been made available to (i) Kent county council, (ii) Thanet district council and (iii) Dover district council in 2007-08.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information on funding at district level. However it does collect information on funding allocated to Kent county council. The information on capital, revenue and supported borrowing allocations made by the Department are provided in the following tables. In total £114 million of capital funding (including supported borrowing) and £910 million of revenue funding has been allocated to Kent county council in 2007-08 via schools and children services grants. The figures exclude payments made by NDPB's which can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table A: Revenue  f unding made available to Kent county council by DCSF in 2007-08 
			   £ 
			  Specific Grants 
			 Dedicated Schools Grant 751,848,000 
			 School Standards Grant 32,347,428 
			 School Standards Grant (Personalisation) 9,101,608 
			 School Development Grant 49,441,196 
			 Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) 934,264 
			 Targeted Improvement Grant 512,500 
			 Targeted School Meals Grant 1,369,512 
			 Devolved School Meals Grant 780,284 
			 Extended Schools 1,589,683 
			 Targeted Support for Primary Strategy 4,294,105 
			 Targeted Support for Secondary Strategy 3,598,387 
			 Fresh Start and New Partnerships: Recurrent 231,000 
			 Primary Strategy: Communication, Language and Literacy 50,000 
			 School Improvement Partners 468,864 
			 Music Services 1,129,485 
			 Music at Key Stage 2 631,167 
			 Education Health Partnerships 261,428 
			 Playing for Success 168,750 
			 Choice Advisers 79,351 
			 School Intervention Grant 409,600 
			 Flexible 14 to 19 Partnerships Funding 744,161 
			 Walking to School Initiatives 95,500 
			 General Duty on Sustainable Travel To School 112,865 
			 Extended Rights for Free Travel 141,603 
			 Aimhigher 623,155 
			 Connexions 11,506,441 
			 Care Matters 70,000 
			 General Sure Start Grant Recurrent 23,429,622 
			 Youth Opportunity Fund 734,395 
			 ContactPoint 421,030 
			 Total Specific Grants 897,125,384 
			   
			  DCSF Recurrent Funding routed through Local Area Agreements (LAA)( 1) 
			 Children's Services Grant 4,476,878 
			 Secondary National Strategy—Behaviour and Attendance 183,300 
			 Secondary National Strategy—Central Co-ordination 639,014 
			 Primary National Strategy Central Co-ordination 662,337 
			 Positive Activities for Young People 352,281 
			 School Travel Advisors 189,000 
			 School Development Grant (local authority retained element) 2,867,656 
			 Children's Fund 3,082,807 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 501,000 
			 Total LAA 12,954,273 
			   
			 Total Recurrent funding including LAAs 873,918,169 
			 (1)Funding routed through the Children and Young Peoples Block of Local Area Agreements, which is paid out by the Department for Communities and Local Government. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Capital grants made available to Kent county council by DCSF in 2007-08 
			   £ 
			  Capital Grants  
			 National Digital Infrastructure 3,351,099 
			 E-Learning Credits 1,390,731 
			 Devolved Formula Capital 24,015,115 
			 School Travel Plan 493,140 
			 Capital Modernisation: Primary 2,333,179 
			 Capital Modernisation: Secondary 2,690,069 
			 Targeted Capital Fund 4,584,400 
			 Building Schools for the Future 12,146,000 
			 Advance of Modernisation Capital Grants 8,372,080 
			 Specialist Schools Capital 1,114,149 
			 Fresh Start and New Partnerships: Capital 962,842 
			 General Sure Start Grant Capital 13,996,797 
			 Youth Capital Fund 635,193 
			 Information Communication Technology: Mobile Technology 305,127 
			 Integrated Children's System Capital 435,000 
			 Total Capital Grants 76,824,921 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: Supported borrowing made available to Kent county council by DCSF in 2007-08 
			   £ 
			  Grants  
			 Capital Modernisation: Primary 5,444,085 
			 Capital Modernisation: Secondary 6,276,827 
			 New pupil places 22,810,151 
			 Schools Access Initiative 2,466,986 
			 SCE(R) Single Capital Pot (Children's element) 279,000 
			 Total LA Allocation 37,277,049

Free School Meals: Somerset

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of children are estimated to be eligible for free school meals at  (a) Manor Court Primary School, Chard, Somerset,  (b) Neroche Primary School, Somerset,  (c) South Petherton Junior School, Somerset  (d) Parcroft Junior School, Somerset,  (e) Gran Royal Junior School, Somerset,  (f) Norton Sub Hamdon Primary School, Somerset and  (g) Wadham School, Somerset.

Jim Knight: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Free school meal arrangements, January 2007 
			   Pupil achievement and attainment tables( 1) 
			  Somerset  Number of pupils (used for FSM calculation)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 Manor Court Community Primary School 403 47 11.7 
			 Neroche Primary School 161 5 3.1 
			 South Petherton Junior School 99 7 7.1 
			 Parcroft Community Junior School 275 27 9.8 
			 Grass Royal Junior School 265 59 22.3 
			 Norton-sub-Hamdon Church of England Primary School 127 15 11.8 
			 Wadham School 554 38 6.9 
			 (1) Includes pupils with sole and dual registration who are full time and aged 0 to 15 (inclusive) and those who are part -time and aged 5 to 15 (inclusive).

GCE A-Level

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the terms of the review of A-levels in 2013 are; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The 2013 review will consider the evidence and experience following the introduction of Diplomas and the implementation of changes to A level and GCSE, with a view to reaching conclusions about how in practice the overall offer meets the needs of young people in progressing to further study and employment.

Health Education: Nutrition

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government plans to take to educate parents about nutrition.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 7 February 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Department launched the 5 A DAY programme to promote the health benefits of eating a variety of at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day as we believe this gives a positive message to the consumer.
	The 5 A DAY logo was launched by the Department; over 640 organisations are licensed to use the 5 A DAY logo. The Food Standards Agency's (FSA) Consumer Attitudes Survey, 2006 showed that 72 per cent. of people are now aware that they should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, up from 43 per cent. in 2000.
	'Top Tips for Top Mums' is a new 5 A DAY campaign. The campaign aims to help families by sharing real tips from real mums on how they got their kids to eat more fruit and vegetables. Mums or dads can e-mail mums@5adaytoptips.co.uk to send in their tip which may then be shared with other families via the 5 A DAY website, the media and other 5 A DAY partners.
	In November 2006, the new Healthy Start scheme was implemented across the United Kingdom to provide vouchers for milk, fruit, vegetables and infant formula and free vitamin supplements to qualifying families and to back this up with information and advice through their health care professional on breastfeeding/healthy eating. They also receive an information booklet and a magazine with links to the healthy start website.
	The Government will invest £75 million in an integrated marketing programme to inform, support and empower parents to make changes to their children's diets and levels of physical activity. It will include simple universal messages for all families as well as tailored messages for at-risk families. There will be an emphasis on highlighting opportunities to take part in activities in the local area—everything from fruit-tasting sessions to 'walking buses' and safe play areas.
	The Government will also seek to further develop the NHS Choices website so that it provides highly personalised advice on diet, activity and how to maintain a healthy weight The Government will work with the FSA and other relevant bodies to ensure that this advice is based on the best available evidence, so that individuals can make sense of often conflicting advice from other sources. We will also explore the potential to include information on which companies meet which aspects of the codes of good practice in food and entertainment technology.

Literacy: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in  (a) Enfield and  (b) Enfield, North of school leaving age were functionally illiterate in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: Improving standards of literacy and numeracy at all stages of education has been one of the Government's top priorities. There is no nationally expected level of achievement for 16-year-olds (pupils at the end of key stage 4). The Government's current public service agreement target is for 60 per cent. of 16-year-olds to achieve 5 good GCSE grades (A*-C) or equivalent by 2008. Figures for 2007 published on 9 January show that this target has been met. But we are raising the bar and in future the target for the end of key stage 4 will be measured against the proportion of pupils achieving 5 grades A*-C or equivalent, including GCSE English and mathematics. The 2007 figure for England achieving this standard was 46.7 per cent. compared with 37.0 per cent. in 1998.
	The following table shows the proportion of pupils in Enfield and Enfield, North achieving 5 or more grades A*-C or equivalent, including GCSE English and mathematics for each year since 1998:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Enfield  Enfield, North 
			 1998 33.4 30.9 
			 1999 36.5 30.5 
			 2000 35.2 28.4 
			 2001 37.4 32.5 
			 2002 38.4 35.2 
			 2003 38.3 37.9 
			 2004 40.5 39.8 
			 2005 42.2 40.8 
			 2006 42.8 40.1 
			 2007 47.5 45.4 
		
	
	In 2007 60.0 per cent. of pupils in England achieved at least Grade C in GCSE English compared with 53.2 per cent. in 1998. We do not publish disaggregated figures for GCSE subjects at local authority level.

London Academy Edgware

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of students at the London Academy  (a) are entitled to free school meals,  (b) are in receipt of education maintenance allowance,  (c) have a special educational need and  (d) have a mother tongue other than English.

Jim Knight: The following table provides data on the number and percentage of students at the London Academy who:
	 (a) are eligible for free school meals (FSM);
	 (c) have a special educational need (SEN);
	 (d) Have English as an additional language.
	
		
			  Results for the London Academy 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Pupils entitled to FSM(1) 432 43.0 
			 Pupils with SEN with statement(2) 51 3.9 
			 Pupils with SEN without statement(2) 425 32.2 
			 Pupils with English as an additional 464 35.2 
			 (1) Based on all pupils of compulsory school age. (2) Based on all pupils.  Source: PLASC 20O7 
		
	
	The Learning and Skills Council operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) scheme for the Department and hold the information about take-up and payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council's chief executive, will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 21 January 2008:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked: "How many and percentage of students at the London Academy (a) are entitled to free school meals, (b) are in receipt of educational maintenance allowance, (c) have a special educational need and (d) have a mother tongue other than English."
	EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	EMA take-up for the London Academy is as follows:
	
		
			  Academic year  Number in receipt (percentage of post-16 learners in receipt) 
			 2006/07 184 (59%) 
		
	
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07 and to date in 2007/08 is now also available on the LSC website, at the following address:
	http://www.lsc.gov.uk/providers/Data/statistics/learner/EMA_take_up.htm

Pupils

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of primary school pupils live within walking distance as defined by his Department of more than one maintained  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school, broken down by local authority;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of primary school pupils live within walking distance as defined by his Department of more than two secondary schools, broken down by local authority.

Jim Knight: The statutory walking distance is two miles for pupils aged under eight and three miles for those aged eight and over. However, from September 2007, under the terms of section 508B of the Education Act 1996, children aged eight but under 11 from low income families became entitled to free travel arrangements where they live more than two miles from their nearest qualifying school. From September 2008 all children from low income families of compulsory school age, who are 11 or over will be entitled to free transport in two ways—to one of their three nearest qualifying schools where they live more than two but not more than six miles from that school, and to the nearest school preferred by reason of a parent's religion or belief between two and 15 miles from home.
	The measurement of the statutory walking distance is not necessarily by the shortest distance by road. It is measured by the shortest route along which a child accompanied as necessary, may walk with reasonable safety. As such, the route measured may include footpaths, bridleways, and other pathways, as well as recognised roads.
	A table showing the number and proportion of primary school pupils who live within two miles straight line distance of more than one maintained  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school and the number and proportion of primary pupils who live within two miles straight line distance of more than two secondary schools, broken down by local authority, has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Pupils: English Language

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government have taken to assist teachers with the change in the number of pupils with English as a second language since 1997.

Jim Knight: The Government's policy is to encourage rapid English language acquisition as the key to successful integration into the UK education system and the wider community. Newly arrived pupils are given additional help in learning English by specialist advisers and teachers of English as an additional language (EAL) and bilingual classroom assistants, who work in collaboration with classroom teachers to plan lessons and teaching materials. The evidence indicates that EAL pupils typically catch up with their peers in attainment terms within two years of first admission to a school in England.
	The number of pupils for whom English is an additional language (EAL) rose from 500,000 to 790,000 between 1997 and 2007. Putting this in perspective, such children now comprise 12 per cent. of all pupils as against 7.5 per cent. in 1997 and 9 per cent. in 2001. Funding for EAL children has fully kept pace with these increasing numbers through:
	an element within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for primary schools which was some £256 million in 2004-05, rising to £299 million in 2007-08, with a further rise to over £330 million in 2010-11—an 11 per cent. real terms increase on the 2004-05 level;
	a substantial provision for EAL through the ring fenced Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG), which has risen from £162 million in 2004-05 to £179 million in 2007-08 and will rise to £206 million by 2010-11—a 9 per cent. increase on the 2004-05 level;
	in addition an Exceptional Circumstances Grant (ECG) has been introduced to reflect changes in local authorities' pupil numbers which occur after the three year indicative allocations of DSG have been announced.
	These increases form part of the substantial overall increase in school funding: over the past 10 years since 1997, overall per pupil revenue funding for schools has increased by 67 per cent. in real terms. We expect local authorities to be able to manage new pressures from within these increases, and to ensure that the resources reach the individual schools affected by new arrivals and EAL speakers.
	The Government have recently launched a New Arrivals Excellence Programme intended to provide practical support for local authorities, schools and individual teachers. This programme is backed by other practical support including measures to improve the supply, training and qualifications of EAL specialist staff, and to deliver new web-based teaching and learning materials..

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in England operate as their own admissions authority;
	(2)  how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in England have their admissions managed by (i) local authorities and (ii) other bodies.

Jim Knight: Local authorities are the admission authority for community and voluntary controlled schools. Governing bodies are the admission authority for voluntary aided and foundation schools. Academies and city technology colleges also determine their own admission arrangements in line with the requirements of the admissions code and admissions taw. The following table provides details of the number of schools in each category. Local authorities may delegate responsibility for determining the admission arrangements of community and voluntary controlled schools to individual school governing bodies, but we do not collect information centrally about the number of cases in which responsibility is delegated.
	Admission authorities usually manage the process of considering applications for places themselves, but the governing body of a school which is its own admission authority may ask another body, including the local authority, to do so on their behalf. Again, we do not collect information centrally about the number of cases in which this
	happens.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : number of schools by category, January 2007, England 
			   Number of schools 
			   Primary  Secondary 
			 LA Admission Authority Schools 13,268 2,225 
			 Of which:   
			 Community 2,542 2,112 
			 Voluntary Controlled 10,726 113 
			
			 Admission Authority Schools 4,093 1,174 
			 Of which:   
			 Voluntary Aided 3,731 554 
			 Foundation 362 564 
			
			 CTCs and Academies n/a 56 
			 n/a = not applicable Source: School Census

Schools: Catering

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what steps the Government have taken to improve kitchen facilities in schools since 1997;
	(2)  how much the Government have spent on school kitchen facilities in the West Midlands in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The Government have increased the capital available for investment in school buildings sevenfold in real terms between 1997 and 2010. In 1996-97, it was under £700 million: by 2010-11 it will be more than £8.2 billion a year. Most of this funding can be used for school kitchens where this is the local priority. Authorities and schools in the West Midlands will get over £1 billion over the next three years. For each of the next three years, a typical secondary school will get over £113,000 of its own money and a typical primary over £34,000 which can be used to improve kitchens and dining areas if they wish. Additionally, we are providing £150 million of targeted funding by 2010 to support authorities install new kitchens in schools which have none and where there is exceptional need.
	In 2007 the Department published "Inspirational Design for Kitchen and Dining Spaces" to give good guidance to authorities and schools on how to build kitchens that are efficient and suitable to cook good healthy food, and dining areas that are attractive to children and encourage healthy eating. This was prepared in consultation with the School Food Trust and industry professionals.
	Investment decisions are made locally and the Department does not collect information on how much authorities and schools have invested in kitchen facilities. In 2007, authorities provided information on school building projects, including that in the previous 10 years there had been improvement to kitchens and serveries in over 2,300 schools nationally. The "School Building Investment Data" are available in the parliamentary libraries, showing the information from each local authority.

Schools: Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what expenditure on schools was as a proportion of gross domestic product in each year since 1997; what estimate he has made of the likely proportion in each year until 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department is unable to answer the question in the way it has been asked. The information is not held on a UK basis. However, spending on education in England is set to rise to £63.7 million in 2007-08. The Government will increase spending in education as a proportion of GDP to 5.6 per cent. in 2010-11. This compares to 4.7 per cent. of GDP spent on education in 1996-07.
	
		
			   Total  Government education spend as a proportion of GDP 
			 2007-08 5.6 
			 2008-09 5.6 
			 2009-10 5.6 
			 2010-11 5.6

Schools: Rural Areas

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many surplus places there are in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools designated as rural schools.

Jim Knight: The most recent data available on the number of surplus school places relates to January 2007. In primary schools designated as rural there were 111,187 (14 per cent.) surplus places. Rural secondary schools are not designated but are identified as being in an area classified as rural by the Office of National Statistics. In rural secondary schools there were 33,326 (7 per cent.) surplus places.

Schools: Science

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government has taken to improve science facilities in schools since 1997.

Jim Knight: The Government have been and continues to be committed to improving science facilities in schools as part of its aim to transform all school buildings. More than £31 billion has been invested in school buildings since 1997 including through Schools for the Future and Academies during which time 6,644 new or refurbished laboratories have been provided.
	This year £6.7 billion of funding is available for investment in schools, and this will rise to £8.2 billion a year by 2010-11. Most of this can be invested in science facilities where this is the local priority.
	This unprecedented level of investment is a marvellous opportunity to create science facilities that inspire learners and teachers alike. With this in mind my Department set up Project Faraday in 2006, developing exciting design ideas at 12 demonstration schools that can act as 'exemplars' for science provision, to inspire and inform local authorities and schools.
	A book showing the exemplar designs will be published later this month. The first built project will be completed at the end of 2008.

Teachers: Qualifications

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he plans to bring forward specific proposals for the structure of the proposed Masters degree for the teaching profession.

Jim Knight: As we said in the Children's Plan, we will work with the social partnership for school work force reform and with the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) to agree how we realise our ambitions to make teaching a masters level profession. We will publish more detailed proposals for the structure of the Masters degree as soon as we are ready to do so.

Young People: Sports

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the impact of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 on 17-year-olds playing open age sport.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 18 February 2008
	We have received useful feedback on the issue of under 18-year-olds playing in open age sport from stakeholders in the sports sector during the course of last year. It is not our intention to make any activity a regulated activity unnecessarily, particularly if that means children could be denied access to a wide range of sporting activity.
	As a consequence of feedback from stakeholders we are currently consulting on the proposal that activities relating to the teaching, training and instruction of children aged 16-17 years should not be considered to be regulated activity, where the 16 and 17-year-old is part of an activity aimed at mixed age groups which includes adults. The proposals can be found in paragraphs 3.11-3,12. of the consultation document on the Safeguarding Vulnerable groups Act 2006: Independent Safeguarding Authority scheme which is available on the Department for Children Schools and Families consultation website. The consultation will run until the 20 February 2008.
	The Department for Children Schools and Families, Department of Health and Home Office will continue to consulting widely with stakeholders including sports bodies and organisations and will continue working with the Department for Culture Media and Sport and sports bodies to help inform Regulations and prepare for implementation of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

Apprentices: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government plan to take to increase the number of apprenticeships in the west midlands.

David Lammy: West Midlands Learning and Skills Council plan to increase apprenticeships by around 4 per cent. in 2008-09, Projections are for 12,550 apprenticeship starts with 8,415 completions and a further 5,620 advanced apprenticeship starts with 3,385 completions in 2008-09. The overall completion rate will be 65 per cent. which represents a rise of 3 per cent. on the projected 2007-08 level The plans to increase apprenticeship numbers reflect our ambitions for growth outlined in the recent report of the 'Apprenticeship Review—World-class Apprenticeships: Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All', published on 28 January 2008.
	The increase in apprenticeships in the west midlands will be achieved by re-directing funding to high performing providers, introducing the apprenticeship matching service, developing closer employer engagement, removing support for poorly performing provision and introducing new opportunities for young people to prepare to undertake an apprenticeship.

Higher Education: VAT

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the total Value Added Tax (VAT) paid by higher education institutions in each of the past five years; and what forecasts he has made of such VAT receipts expected in each of the next five years.

Jane Kennedy: have been asked to reply.
	HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on the amount of VAT paid on individual goods and services.

Street Works

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2007,  Official Report, column 1068W, on street works, what assessment she has made of the ability of local authorities to implement street works regulations from 1 April.

Rosie Winterton: A large majority of local authorities consider that they can implement the new street works regulations, laid in July 2007, from 1April 2008. It is the responsibility of authorities and undertakers to ensure that they are compliant with legislation.

Floods: Gloucestershire

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the steps taken to reduce the risk of flooding in Gloucestershire since the floods of summer 2007.

Phil Woolas: The Environment Agency's estimated annual spend in Gloucestershire on controlling development, flood warning and awareness, flood risk mapping, maintenance of flood defences and watercourses is £1.5 million. The Environment Agency has spent an extra £400,000 estimated, in Gloucestershire since the summer floods of 2007 on flood recovery, data collection, watercourse maintenance and repairs to flood defence assets.
	At the Government's request, Sir Michael Pitt is carrying out an independent review of last summer's floods and published an interim report in December. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has stated that the Government agree with all 15 of the urgent recommendations in this report and will work with other organisations involved in implementing them.

Children: Maintenance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many live Child Support Agency claims there were in Peterborough in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 21 January 2008
	 The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 19 February 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many live Child Support Agency claims there were in Peterborough in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.
	The attached table shows all live cases where the parent with care has a Peterborough address broken down to show their assessment type and whether any maintenance is due to be paid.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Number of Peterborough live cases being handled by the Child Support Agency 
			   Interim maintenance assessment  Nil maintenance liability  Positive maintenance liability 
			 September 2007 10 890 1,660 
			 September 2006 10 940 1,330 
			 September 2005 10 900 1,230 
			 September 2004 20 900 1,050 
			 September 2003 20 910 990 
			 August 2002 40 1,040 1,300 
			 August 2001 40 1,000 1,240 
			  Notes: 1. Includes all cases with an assessment/calculation on both old and new scheme. 2. September data has been provided each year from 2003 onwards. Prior to this only quarterly data is available so August data has been used. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. Based on the postcode of the parent with care.

Social Security Benefits

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the most common length of time was for each benefit delivery centre or processing site that social fund applicants had to wait for  (a) initial decisions,  (b) internal reviews,  (c) applications awaiting any action and  (d) applications not yet registered, or best estimate thereof in the most recent period for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 15 January 2008
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 19 February 2008:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about what the most common length of time was for each benefit delivery centre or processing site that Social Fund applicants had to wait for initial decisions, internal reviews, applications awaiting any action and applications not yet registered, or best estimate thereof in the most recent period for which figures are available. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Information is available only for initial decisions.
	The most common clearance times (mode) for discretionary Social Fund applications in November 2007 are given in the table.
	
		
			  Most common (modal) length of time for clearing applications in November 2007 (working days) 
			  Social fund benefit delivery centre by region  Community care grants  Crisis loans  Budgeting loans 
			  East of England
			 Essex n/a 1 2 
			 Norwich BDC 1 1 7 
			 
			  East Midlands
			 East Midlands North 7 1 4 
			 South East Midlands 7 1 6 
			 
			  London
			 Balham3 10 and 11 1 7 
			 Ilford 5 1 2 
			  North East
			 Northumbria 6 1 4 
			 South Tyneside and Wear Valley 2 1 5 
			 Tees Valley 5 1 5 
			 
			  North West
			 Greater Liverpool 10 — 6 
			 Chorlton BDC 8 — 4 
			 
			  Scotland
			 Inverness BDC 11 — 3 
			 Springburn BDC 12 — 3 
			 
			  South East
			 Milton Keynes BDC 25 — 11 
			 
			  South West
			 South West Central 6 — 5 
			 
			  Wales
			 Llanelli BDC 14 — 5 
			 South East Wales 8 — 8 
			 
			  West Midlands
			 West Midlands SF 5 — 11 
			 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside
			 Y & H Bradford 3 and 4 — 4 
			 Y & H Sheffield 2 — 1 
			  Notes 1. Insufficient data is available for Essex for Community Care Grants. This is because of a limitation of the Management Information System. 2. Numbers are based on applications cleared in November 2007, not on applications received during that month. 3. The two figures given are the most common clearance times (the same number of Community Care Grant applications were cleared in each number of working days).  Key: BDC -Benefit Delivery Centre SF - Social Fund Y&H -Yorkshire and Humberside  Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress is being made on updating Health and Safety Executive Leaflet INDG209 on sunbeds.

Anne McGuire: My noble Friend Lord McKenzie and my hon. Friend the Minister for Public Health met on 23 January to discuss how best to take forward HSE leaflet INDG209 in the context of the Government's Cancer Reform Strategy, announced in December 2007. It was agreed that HSE would put out for consultation a revised draft update of the leaflet and that a joint letter will be sent to the hon. Member to inform her more fully the outcome of this meeting.

Crime: Statistics

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2008,  Official Report, column 209W, on crime; statistics, what account is taken in the compilation of crime statistics of unreported crime.

Vernon Coaker: The British Crime Survey (BCS) and police recorded crime statistics are complementary series, and together these two sources provide a more comprehensive picture of household and personal crime than could be obtained from either series alone.
	The main purpose of the BCS is to give a count of crime that includes those incidents that are not reported to the police, or not recorded by them. As such, the BCS asks victims whether an incident had been reported to the police, or whether the police came to know about it another way, and is therefore able to estimate reporting rates. Overall, the 2006-07 BCS estimated that more than half of crimes are never reported to the police. Reporting rates are reported at a national level and published annually in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin Crime in England and Wales. See
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1107.pdf
	for the latest figures.

Drug Screening

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answers of 15 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 553-4, on drug screening, what further progress has been made towards making a roadside drug screening device available for use by the police; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Any drug screening device to be used by the police in a suspected drug driving case must be of a type approved by the Secretary of State. It remains the position that no device currently available is type approved. The independent advice we have received is that, whatever their use in other circumstances, none should be type approved for use at the roadside in this country to assist in enforcing the criminal offence of driving while impaired by a drug.
	Type approval will be granted to devices that meet an appropriate specification and perform satisfactorily in an operational setting. Our advisers are continuing their work to produce such a specification. We hope to reach a conclusion shortly.

Genetics: Databases

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of maintaining the DNA database was in each year of its operation.

Meg Hillier: The National DNA Database (NDNAD) was established in 1995, when responsibility for the operational management of the NDNAD rested with the Forensic Science Service (FSS) on behalf of the Police Service. No central records of costs relating to the maintenance of the NDNAD are held prior to 2002, as cost data was incorporated in other costs incurred by the FSS.
	In December 2005, the FSS was vested as a Government owned company and ownership of the NDNAD transferred from the FSS to the Home Office. On 1 April 2007 the NDNAD transferred from the Home Office to the National Policing Improvement Agency. Costs for the 2007-08 financial year are not yet available.
	The costs relating to the maintenance of the NDNAD from 2002-07 are given in the following tables. The costs for 2006-07 are higher than for previous years, because of the complete separation of costs from the FSS, and because the increase in the number of forensic suppliers requires additional resources for accreditation and continuous monitoring.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   
			   NDNAD Services costs  Supplier Accreditation costs  Total 
			 2002-03 774,304 320,507 1,094,811 
			 2003-04 904,385 388,047 1,292,432 
			 2004-05 1,276,823 433,828 1,710,651 
			 2005-06 1,245,151 459,192 1,704,343 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   
			   NDNAD Service delivery including delivery of IT development projects  Custodian accreditation  Total 
			 2006-07 2,041,743 527,677 2,569,420

Terrorism

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 15 November,  Official Report, column 682W, on terrorism, which countries have proscribed Hizb-ut-Tahrir:; and what account she has taken of these countries' positions in his decision on the position of Hizb-ut-Tahrir: in the UK.

Tony McNulty: The following countries to our knowledge have some form of ban in place on Hizb-ut-Tahrir:
	Germany
	UAE
	Russia
	Pakistan (pending an appeal)
	Turkey
	Saudi Arabia
	Egypt
	Uzbekistan
	Tajikistan
	Kyrgyzstan
	Syria
	Turkmenistan
	Different jurisdictions have different criteria for banning organisations. I understand, for example, that in Germany it is banned for, among other things, anti-Semitic activity.
	We examine all relevant information about an organisation, including any action taken by other countries and the basis for that action if known, when an organisation is under consideration for proscription. I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 20 November 2007,  Official Report, column 682W for the statutory and other tests which must be applied in proscription cases. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the deliberations which may or may not have occurred in respect of organisations not on the proscribed list, except to say that Hizb-ut-Tahrir remains an organisation of concern and is kept under close review.

Terrorism: Arrests

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases are awaiting trial for people charged with offences under  (a) the Terrorism Act 2000,  (b) the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001,  (c) the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 and  (d) the Terrorism Act 2006.

Tony McNulty: Statistics on the number of people awaiting trial are available on the Home Office website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/
	The information is not broken down in the manner requested. Since 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2007, there have been 1,228 arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000 and under other legislation, where the investigation was conducted as a terrorist investigation. Of those arrested, 132 were charged with terrorism legislation offences only , 109 were charged with terrorism legislation offences and other criminal offences and 195 were charged under other legislation including murder, grievous bodily harm, firearms, explosives offences, fraud, false documents Of those charged 114 were awaiting trial on 31 March 2007. Statistics are compiled from police records and are subject to change as cases go through the system.

Video Games: Young People

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police  (a) cautions and  (b) arrests were recorded for retailers selling (i) video games and (ii) DVDs to underage customers in each year since 1997; and what average fine was levied for subsequent convictions in each case.

Tony McNulty: Statistics on the number of police cautions issued, the number of fines imposed and the average fines have been provided by the Ministry of Justice and are given in the following table for 1997 to 2006. Data on those arrested is not available.
	
		
			  Offenders( 1)  cautioned and fined for supplying video recording of classified work in breach of classification( 2) 
			   Number of police cautions issued  Number of fines imposed  Average fine amount () 
			 1997 1 15 519 
			 1998  18 440 
			 1999  33 798 
			 2000  16 1,028 
			 2001  9 1,378 
			 2002  12 1,079 
			 2003 1 14 921 
			 2004  6 775 
			 2005  8 489 
			 2006  8 1,244 
			 (1) These data are on a principal offence basis. (2) Video Recording Act 1984 S.11 as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 S.88(4). These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source:  RDS-NOMS, Ministry of Justice

Firearms: Crime

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) non-EU citizens and  (b) foreign nationals were convicted of (i) firearms and (ii) drug offences in Britain in each of the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: Information on the total number of foreign nationals convicted for firearms and drug offences are not held centrally. The central databases of criminal court cases collect information on defendants' ethnicities, but do not presently contain information on their nationalities. This is because, as a general rule, nationality is not germane to the outcome of criminal court proceedings. Defendants will not be asked their nationality by the court for this reason. Information on nationality may be recorded where it is specifically relevant to the case (e.g. immigration-related offences) but this would be held on local files and would not be systematically recorded on central databases.
	However, in preparation of the implementation of the UK Borders Act 2007, the Crown court IT systems are being changed to allow for the collection of nationality data. This Act introduces automaticrather than discretionarytriggers for the deportation of foreign nationals who meet certain sentencing criteria, and it will require more detailed recording of data on foreign national criminal defendants. Upgraded systems to meet this requirement are expected to be in place in late 2008.
	Data held on the prison IT system does record the nationality of offenders. The following table gives the number of foreign national and EU national prisoners received into all prison establishments in England and Wales under immediate custodial sentences between 2004 and 2006.
	
		
			   2004  2005  2006 
			 Foreign nationals 8,355 9,612 9,832 
			 EU nationals (not including UK nationals) 2,087 2,457 2,840 
			  Note: The foreign nationals data is taken from table 7.5 of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2006. 
		
	
	It should be noted, however, that only a percentage of defendants found guilty of offences receive a custodial sentence.

Magistrates: Public Appointments

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to encourage the appointment of more magistrates from areas which experience the highest levels of crime and antisocial behaviour; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: In liaison with the Advisory Committee will determine how many magistrates are needed and recruitment campaigns are run locally.
	The need is based on workload forecasts which take account of anticipated number of cases coming to the magistrates court including criminal and antisocial behaviour cases. They also take into account projected retirements; possible resignations; average sitting days; bench make-up (responsibility to ensure that the magistracy is reflective of the communities it serves in terms of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, geographical spread, occupation and industry); local workload data; resources and the use of district judges (magistrates courts).
	Specific initiatives to encourage the recruitment and diversity of magistrates include: advertising materials to raise the profile of recruitment campaigns; information including a DVD that gives extensive and accessible information about the qualities and commitment required; a dedicated website; and awareness raising schemes including magistrates in the community, mock trials, and the magistrates shadowing scheme.

Prisoners: Drugs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government intend to take to reduce re-offending rates by reducing the rate of prisoner dependency on drugs.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has in place a comprehensive strategy to address the misuse of drugs by offenders serving custodial sentences. The strategy for prisons has a three-way focus:
	reducing supply, through security measures and drug testing programmes;
	reducing demand, through targeted interventions for low, moderate and severe drug-misusers; and
	establishing effective through-care links to ensure continuity of treatment post-release in order to safeguard the gains made in custody.
	NOMS' comprehensive drug treatment framework, based on the National Treatment Agency's revised Models of Care, addresses the different needs of drug-misusers in prison. Interventions are comprised of:
	Clinical services, detoxification and/or maintenance prescribing
	CARATs (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Through-care service)lower-level interventions that, following assessment, deliver treatment and support. CARATs take the lead Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) role in prisons, engaging with prison resettlement teams and Criminal Justice Integrated Teams (CJITs) in the community
	Drug Rehabilitation Programmes
	The Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS) will bring considerable improvements to the quality of prison treatment. With 18.7 million invested in 2007-08, around 24,500 prisoners annually will benefit from improved quality clinical treatment.
	Offenders who are released on licence may have conditions attached to their licence that require them to address their problem with drugs. Prolific and other priority offenders who are released on licence may be required to submit to drug tests.

Bangladesh: Elections

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the UK is providing to Bangladesh to assist the electoral process.

Shahid Malik: The UK is providing the following assistance to Bangladesh for the electoral process:
	Preparation of the Electoral Roll with Photographs Programmethe UK is the lead donor providing 10 million to this $77 million multi-donor and government funded programme. It will generate an internationally acceptable photo voter roll, with photographs, to reduce room for fraud, and generate public confidence in the Election Commission (EC). The data collected is also being used for National ID Cards, which will provide most Bangladeshis with proof of identity for the first time.
	National Election Programme2.2 million is being provided to NGOs to reduce electoral fraud through international and domestic monitoring; support the EC's registration process through voter motivation and awareness, with a focus on ensuring those groups usually excluded (religious and social minorities and the poor) are included on the list; improve the quality of campaigning to deliver more accountable representatives.

Bingo

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications to open  (a) bingo halls and  (b) high street bookmakers were approved in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The table shows the number of new bingo licences issued under the Gaming Act 1968 by licensing magistrates (licensing boards in Scotland) for the five years from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2007.
	
		
			  New bingo licences issued from 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2007 
			  April to March each year  Licences issued 
			 2002-03 34 
			 2003-04 19 
			 2004-05 10 
			 2005-06 6 
			 2006-07 8 
		
	
	Under the Gambling Act 2005 (the 2005 Act), the Gambling Commission (the Commission) is responsible for issuing bingo operating licences to operators; licensing authorities are responsible for issuing bingo premises licences in respect of individual bingo halls. Since 1 January 2007, the Commission has been able to accept applications for bingo operating licences; it has so far issued 218. (Under the 2005 Act the earliest date bingo operating licences or bingo premises licences could take effect was 1 September 2007.)
	No figures are available for the period requested for the number of high street bookmakers to whom licences were issued. Prior to the introduction of the 2005 Act, high street bookmakers were authorised by permits issued by magistrates courts; no information was collated centrally. Since 1 January 2007 the Commission has been able to accept applications for general betting operating licences from operators wishing to run high street bookmakers; it has so far issued 691. Licensing authorities are responsible for issuing betting premises licences to high street bookmakers.
	Under the 2005 Act the Commission is responsible for collecting information on the number premises licences issued by licensing authorities. However, the Commission does not yet have figures for how many applications for bingo or betting premises licences have been granted by licensing authorities.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of Freedom of Information requests received by his Department have given rise to responses that have been published by his Department.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Since the introduction of Freedom of Information Act the Department has published 85 per cent. of responses to its website. Our Department has adopted a full disclosure log where we aim to publish all requests for information where information has been released.

Sports: Sponsorship

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to regulate sponsorship of UK sport.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have no plans to regulate the sponsorship of sport in the UK. However the Government have taken a number of steps to encourage sponsorship of sport that is socially responsible, particularly when aimed at children and young people. For example, the Government have supported moves by the Portman Group to place a voluntary ban on alcohol advertising on children's replica football shirts.
	Furthermore, we have supported similar voluntary arrangements between the gambling industry and sport to remove gambling sponsorship from children's replica kit.
	Finally as you will be aware, the EU ban on tobacco advertising for Formula One motor racing remains in place.

Housing: Finance

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding is held by her Department under the Decent Homes Programme in relation to London, broken down by London borough; when that money is due to be released to each borough; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Local authorities retaining both the ownership and the management of their housing stock have to deliver their decent homes programme using the resources available through the housing revenue account and supported capital expenditure.
	Additional investment needed to make all social housing decent is provided by
	Setting up a high-performance arm's length management organisation (ALMO) which can then access additional supported capital expenditure;
	Entering into a private finance initiative (PFI) contract; or
	Transferring stock to registered social landlords.
	 Local authority landlords
	Supported capital expenditure is allocated to local authorities via the regional assemblies and paid via the housing revenue account (HRA). The London Mayor determines the allocations of supported capital expenditure for the London boroughs. The following table shows the allocation of supported capital expenditure to London boroughs for 2008-09. The revenue support for the interest payments on this borrowing has been built into the subsidy determination for 2008-09.
	
		
			  Name of local authority  2008-09 (T housand) 
			 Barnet 2,208 
			 Islington 9,112 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 5,100 
			 City of London 40 
			 Croydon 3,256 
			 Ealing 5,900 
			 Enfield 4,797 
			 Greenwich 6,742 
			 Hackney 17,700 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 6,072 
			 Haringey 6,233 
			 Harrow 2,725 
			 Havering 2,114 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1,439 
			 Lambeth 8,757 
			 Lewisham 2,697 
			 Merton 2,090 
			 Newham 16,410 
			 Sutton 1,244 
			 Southwark 12,526 
			 Tower Hamlets 15,500 
			 Waltham Forest 6,680 
			 Camden 10,643 
			 Total 149,985 
		
	
	 ALMOs
	The Minister for Housing determines the allocations of the supported capital expenditure to ALMOs which is paid as revenue support for the interest payments on this borrowing and this has been built into the HRA subsidy determination for 2008-09. The London boroughs which are receiving supported capital expenditure for ALMO programmes to deliver decent homes are listed in the following table:
	
		
			  London ALMOs: Allocations 2007-08 to 2010-11 
			  Authority  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Barnet 18,931,000 15,198,000 10,608,000 (1) 
			 Ealing 41,000,000 28,000,000 37,000,000 17,773,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 47,122,000 50,892,000 43,906,000 (1) 
			 Haringey 6,990,000 23,000,000 30,000,000 (1) 
			 Hillingdon 11,300,000
			 Newham 46,113,000 65,113,000 49,113,000 53,113,000 
			 Islington 33,761,000 36,300,000 38,360,000 (1) 
			 Waltham Forest 22,000,000 22,349,750 16,349,750 16,349,750 
			 (1) To be confirmed 
		
	
	The London boroughs of Enfield, Hackney, Havering, Lambeth, Lewisham, Sutton and Tower Hamlets have yet to agree their funding with the Department but we expect to do so by 31 March 2008.
	 Housing PFI Programmedecent homes schemes
	The London boroughs which are receiving funding for PFI schemes to deliver decent homes are listed in the following table:
	
		
			  London borough  PFI scheme  PFI credits ( million)  Signature date (operational date)  Full year subsidy ()  Contract length (years) 
			 Camden Chalcots Estate 65.00 May 2006 6,824,382 15 
			 Islington Islington 1 74.69 March 2003 6,140,376 30 
			 Islington Islington 2 165.00 September 2006 16,327,104 16 
			 Lewisham Brockley 115.91 June 2007 10,353,146 20 
			 Newham Canning Town 31.89 June 2005 2,391,331 30 
		
	
	Schemes on the Housing PFI Programme are allocated PFI credits which act as a promise of government funding and indicate the level of capital investment which will attract government support. Support for Decent Homes Housing PFI schemes is paid to local authorities via the housing revenue account subsidy system on a fixed annual basis over the life of the PFI contract. Subsidy is payable when schemes are operational. It is calculated on the overall capital cost of a scheme and does not reflect capital expenditure in individual years.
	In addition, the Department has made a commitment to release subsidy for two further Decent Homes Housing PFI schemes in London, which are currently in procurement, provided they meet all relevant terms and conditions. These schemes are:
	London borough of LambethMyatts Field Northcontract signature expected April 2009; and
	London borough of NewhamForest Gatecontract signature expected March 2008.
	The levels of PFI credits and subsidy are not confirmed until schemes reach contract signature.
	 Transfer to registered social landlords (RSLs)
	Gap funding arrangements with RSLs enable local authorities to transfer their housing stock when the level of private finance required to deliver investment for decent homes improvements cannot be supported by the rental income from the homes. The numbers of arrangements in place in London are:
	
		
			  London borough  Number of transfer schemes  Total gap funding value ( million)  Grant expected to be paid in 2007-08 ( million) 
			 Islington 1 32.340 10 
			 Tower Hamlets 9 39.864 11 
			 Lewisham 1 42.2 0 
		
	
	All gap funding payment arrangements are subject of annual grant letters issued to each RSL.

Housing: Standards

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 1143-45W, on housing: standards, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the reduction in completions of local authority dwellings between 1990-91 and 2006-07.

Iain Wright: It is a matter for local authorities to decide, in the light of the priorities identified in their housing strategy, whether some of their capital resources should be used to provide new social housing. A key issue in deciding how this should be provided and what schemes to fund will be consideration of value for money (VFM). There is no bar on the provision of new housing by local councils and there is no requirement for approval to be sought. The local councils would have to demonstrate to tenants and their auditors that the provision of new housing provides good VFM compared to that provided by registered social landlords (RSLs).
	RSLs have been the main providers of social housing since the 1990's. They are non-profit making organisations who can provide a greater number of homes for a given amount of public expenditure because of their ability to access private finance and to widen choice and competition among social landlords.

Housing: Standards

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many  (a) private,  (b) registered social landlord and  (c) local authority properties have been found to have a category 1 hazard under the housing health and safety ratings system since its inception;
	(2)  how many  (a) private,  (b) registered social landlord and  (c) local authority properties have been assessed as having category 1 hazards under the housing health and safety ratings system in each London local authority area.

Iain Wright: The Housing Health and Safety Rating System was implemented from April 2006. Headline findings for England from the 2006 English House Condition Survey were published on 30 January 2008 with the following estimates of the number of properties with a category 1 hazard present:
	 (a) private : 4,249,000;
	 (b) registered social landlord: 206,000;
	 (c) local authority: 297,000.
	The presence of a category 1 hazard does not necessarily mean that the current occupiers are at serious risk. The risk assessment determining whether a category 1 hazard is present is based on the potential occupant who is most vulnerable to the hazard: for example, and depending on the hazard that is present, whether an elderly person or a young child would be at serious risk if they lived in the property.
	The survey will provide annual updates to these estimates.
	Communities and Local Government have asked local authorities in England to submit information on dwellings assessed with category one hazards under the housing health and safety ratings system for  (a) private,  (b) registered social landlords and  (c) local authority properties in their 2006-07 annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA). This is the first year in which we have sought to collect data on the Housing Health and Ratings System (HHSRS). Data that have been returned are considered incomplete and not of reliable quality. We will be working with local authorities and other stakeholders during 2008 to review the data we are seeking on HHSRS.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Code for Sustainable Homes assessors in each region  (a) have been fully accredited and  (b) are in training; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Code for Sustainable Homes was launched in April 2007 and is the national standard for the design and construction of Sustainable new homes. To date there are 500 fully qualified and licensed Code for Sustainable Homes assessors. This is already sufficient to meet the existing and anticipated demand for Code assessments over the coming months.
	By May 2008 the Government anticipates that the two organisations currently offering Code accreditation servicesthe Building Research Establishment and Stromawill have trained and licensed over 900 assessors. Other firms are currently considering providing Code accreditation services, and should they go ahead, this will further increase the capacity and competition within the market.
	The number of Code for Sustainable Homes assessors by region, and the number of candidates currently booked onto training courses are as follows:
	
		
			  Region  Fully qualified and licensed assessors able to operate.  Qualified assessors still to be licensed and not able to operate  Candidates in training up to May 2008 
			 Eastern 43 10 20 
			 Midlands 63 18 49 
			 North 75 16 30 
			 South east 257 96 162 
			 South west 47 10 30 
			 Wales 15 2 5 
			 |TOTALS 500 152 296 
		
	
	Not all assessors in training will necessarily pass the exams so the total number of assessors by May 2008 will be slightly lower than the totals above. The regional split above is the one used by BRE rather than by that generally used by Government.

Landfill

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what statutory obligations require local authorities to identify new sites for landfill.

Iain Wright: There is a particular obligation arising from the waste management plan(s) required by the Waste Framework Directive(1) relating to waste disposal sites and installations (which can include landfill sites). Case-law from the European Court of Justice(2) has established that the management plan(s) must include either a geographical map specifying the exact location of waste disposal sites or location criteria which are sufficiently precise to enable the competent authority responsible for issuing a permit(3) to determine whether the site or installation in question falls within the management framework provided by the plan.
	In England, the tiered system of waste planning satisfies this requirement. The tiered system includes at the national level Waste Strategy 2007 (and its Annexes) and Planning Policy Statement 10 Planning for Sustainable Waste Management (PPS10); at the regional level, regional spatial strategies; and, at the local level, development plan documents and any local policies which have been 'saved' during the transitional period between the old system of unitary development plans, structure plans and local plans and the new system of local development documents. PPS10 provides that local planning authorities should, among other things, identify in development plan documents sites and areas suitable for new or enhanced waste management facilities for the waste management needs of their areas.
	Local planning authorities in England had an obligation under the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 to produce detailed policies in respect of suitable disposal sites or installations for waste management purposes when producing unitary development plans, structure plans and local plans (which continues to apply in
	relation to saved policies). The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007, which will come into force on 6 April 2008, will replace the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. Under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007, local authorities will be required to implement national waste policies and strategies such as Waste Strategy 2007 and PPS10 when preparing and maintaining local development documents.
	(1) Directive 2006/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
	(2) In particular the judgment on joined cases C-53/02 and C-217/02
	(3) Under article 9 of the directive

Arms Trade: Export Controls

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how the Government will extend export laws to control extra-territorial brokering and trafficking of small arms by United Kingdom citizens operating outside the United Kingdom, as announced by his Department on 6 February.

Malcolm Wicks: On 6 February 2008 the Government published their initial response to a public consultation carried out as part of the 2007 review of export control legislation. The Government's commitment to extend the extra-territorial trade controls to cover the activities of UK persons anywhere in the world in relation to small arms forms part of that response, which can be viewed in full on BERR's website at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/europeandtrade/strategic-export-control/legislation/export-control-act-2002/review/index.html
	The Government have prioritised the implementation of this commitment and intends to act speedily. During the coming weeks, the Government will work closely with stakeholder groups on the detail of how these new controls will operate in practice and will produce guidance to assist industry to operate them, prior to the introduction of secondary legislation.

Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his assessment is of the contribution to the UK economy of Daresbury Science and Innovation campus; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus has made a significant contribution to the UK, both economically and scientifically. The Government remain committed to developing the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus, as announced in the March 2006 Budget, so it can continue to do so.
	The development of the campus has been through a partnership between the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the North West Development Agency (NWDA), the Universities of Manchester, Liverpool and Lancaster and Halton borough council. This has led to more than 60 high-technology companies locating at Daresbury over the past two years.
	The STFC has confirmed that it will continue to invest at Daresbury to provide global leadership in key science and technology areas, building on the world class skills currently on the campus.
	The Government have asked Sir Tom Mckillop to chair an independent review of how best to implement the Government's and STFC's shared vision for Daresbury.

Employment: Tribunals

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the Gibbons Review recommendation to review the circumstances in which it is appropriate for employment tribunal chairs to sit alone, in order to ensure that lay members are used in a way that adds most value; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 7 February 2008
	 The Government acknowledge the valuable and important contribution which lay members make to the tribunal system. This was reaffirmed through responses to the Government consultation 'Resolving disputes in the workplace' which issued in March 2007 and closed on 20 June 2007. Most respondents commented that the tripartite structure of the tribunal was a real strength which aided decision-making in cases where considerations of context and reasonableness were important.
	There was also support in the consultation for employment judges to sit alone in determining cases involving issues of a purely legal nature and in straightforward monetary cases, where the practical experience of the workplace that lay members bring to the tribunal's deliberations is of less relevance. Additionally, over 70 per cent. of respondents to the consultation supported the introduction of a new, swift approach to dealing with straightforward claims, where cases could be determined by an employment judge, with the consent of the parties, on the basis of the papers.
	Responding to these findings in the consultation process, the Government propose to develop further the good practice which already exists within the tribunals by establishing a fast-track system for dealing with simple monetary claims. The fast-track system will involve five jurisdictions where claims potentially raise straightforward issues and therefore potentially could be determined without the need for a tribunal hearing. The jurisdictions considered suitable for the fast track are:
	unlawful deductions from wages
	breach of contract
	redundancy pay
	holiday pay
	the national minimum wage
	Claims falling within these jurisdictions that are combined with other jurisdictions outside the list, will not be eligible for a fast-track determination.

Energy: Renewables Obligation

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform for which  (a) crops and  (b) crop by-products renewable obligation certificates were issued for burning in power stations for each year since 2001; whether each was domestically grown or imported; and what the authorised amounts were in each case.

Malcolm Wicks: My Department does not hold the information you have requested.
	However the following table provides an estimate of the types of material co-fired from 2005-07 under the renewables obligation:
	
		
			  Tonnes 
			   Total  2007  2006  2005 
			 Palm oil 45,728 6,202 36,697 2,829 
			 Palm residues 1,326,121 238,216 480,043 446,828 
			 Olive residues 514,211 131,160 99,829 283,222 
			 Shea residues 31,558 21,357 4,781 5,420 
			 Wood and wood residues 633,595 140,868 206,804 285,923 
			 Crop residues and co- products 382,821 105,880 152,457 124,484 
			 Short rotation Coppice and Miscanthus 15,626 8,881 2,439 4,306 
			 Other 419,094 98,343 59,735 261,016

Natural Gas: Imports

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much gas was imported into the UK from each gas exporting country in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 18 February 2008
	In the last five years gas has been imported into the UK via pipeline from Norway, Belgium and, since 2006, the Netherlands. It is not possible to identify the countries of origin of the gas physically received from the Netherlands and Belgium. However, it is believed that the majority of the gas received from the Netherlands is sourced from the Dutch sector of the North Sea and the majority of the gas from Belgium is sourced from Norway via Zeepipe which terminates at Zeebrugge. In addition, since 2005 relatively small amounts of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has also been imported by tankerfrom Algeria, Egypt, Qatar and Trinidad and Tobago. In the 11 months to November 2007 LNG accounted for 5 per cent. of total gas imports. Data on the proximate sources of gas (i.e. separating out Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands and LNG) is available on BERR's website in Energy Trends Table 4.3
	http://stats.berr.gov.uk/energystats/et4_3.xls
	Data for the whole of 2007 are due to be published on 28 February 2008.
	Data for the whole of 2007 are not yet available. The following table gives data for 2003 to 2006 along with data for the 11 months to November 2007.
	
		
			  (TWh)  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Belgium(1) 4.4 25.6 24.1 30.5 4.7 
			 Netherlands(2)9.1 64.3 
			 Norway(3) 71.8 95.4 127.9 157.0 203.0 
			 LNGW(4)   5.5 37.6 13.0 
			 Total 76.2 121.0 157.5 234.2 285.0 
			 (1) Physical (as opposed to contractual) flows through the Bacton-Zeebrugge Interconnector. (2 )Via the Balgzand-Bacton Line (BBL). (3) Via the Langeled and Vesterled pipelines, and Tampen Link (from Statfjord to FLAGS). (4 )Liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Algeria, Egypt, Qatar and Trinidad and Tobago to the Isle of Grain and Gasport Teesside LNG terminals.

Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had with the Chairman of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) on engaging professional cost advisers to review cost estimates provided to the NDA by its site licencees.

Malcolm Wicks: My Department has regular discussions with the Chairman of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) on a range of issues, including the measurement of the size of the task facing the NDA. The estimation of the lifetime costs of the NDA's mission is a key task for the NDA, and therefore has processes in place for testing and challenging the estimates, including using advisers where appropriate to help them evaluate both the process and to review the cost estimates provided to the NDA by its site licensees.

Private Sector: Redundancy

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what criteria his Department uses in allocating funds to private sector companies to prevent redundancies.

Patrick McFadden: State aid may be granted to private companies only if it is in difficulty; and in accordance with the European Commission's Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulties (OJ C 244, 1.10.2004, p. 2.). A firm in difficulty is where, demonstrably, a company cannot stem its losses through its own resources, or with the funds it obtains from its owners/shareholders, or from market sources. In addition, the Department is obliged to follow the criteria set out in HM Treasury's Green Book:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/economic_data_and-tools/greenbook/data_greenbook_ index.cfm
	on the economic assessment of all public sector spending and investment.
	The Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFIE) scheme can provide funds to private sector companies to support new capital investment that will safeguard employment going forward. The criteria for the SFIE scheme are set out in the scheme guidelines that are publicly available:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/regional/investment/page29183.html

Alcoholic Drinks: Children

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under 14 years old were treated for alcohol-related health problems in the last 12 months, broken down by strategic health authority.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 18 February 2008
	 The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Finished admission episodes (FAEs) for children under 14-years-old with a primary or secondary diagnosis of alcohol-related health problems in data year 2006-07, broken down by strategic health authority (SHA)national health service hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS 
			  Org. code  Description of SHA of treatment  Total episodes 
			 Q30 North East SHA 85 
			 Q31 North West SHA 387 
			 Q32 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 178 
			 Q33 East Midlands SHA 66 
			 Q34 West Midlands SHA 155 
			 Q35 East of England SHA 73 
			 Q36 London SHA 119 
			 Q37 South East Coast SHA 89 
			 Q38 South Central SHA 63 
			 Q39 South West SHA 125 
			  Total 1,340 
			  Notes: 1. Data quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts, and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data is also received from a number of Independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  2. FAEs A FAE is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 3. All diagnoses count of mentions These figures represent a count of all mentions of a diagnosis in any of the 14 diagnosis fields in the HES data set. Therefore, if a diagnosis is mentioned in more than one diagnosis field during an episode, all diagnoses are counted. Diagnosis codes used: F10Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol, K70Alcoholic liver disease; and T51Toxic effect of alcohol.  Source: HES, The Information Centre for health and social care.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings he had with representatives from supermarkets where alcohol price, promotion and harm were discussed in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Two such meetings have taken place.
	In May 2007 the Government announced an agreement with the alcohol industry that, alcoholic drinks labels should include alcohol unit content along with guidelines on sensible drinking. As part of the discussions which led to this agreement, on 15 March 2007 the former Minister of State (Caroline Flint) met with representatives from the alcohol industry, including the British Retail Consortium.
	On 21 November 2007, the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary (Jacqui Smith), the Culture Secretary and the current Minister of State (Dawn Primarolo), met with alcohol retailers, alcohol manufacturers, enforcement agencies, representatives of local councils and doctors and academics specialising in alcohol issues, to discuss the problems of under-age drinking and binge-drinking.
	This included:
	Peter V. Marks, chief executive of United Co-op;
	Sir Terry Leahy, chief executive of Tesco;
	Mark Bolland, chief executive of Morrisons; and
	Nick Grant, chairman of the Alcohol Retail Standards Group and Head of Legal Affairs, Sainsburys.
	The purpose of the seminar was to inform the alcohol industry about the action the Government are taking over coming months, as set out in Safe. Sensible. Social. The next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy to tackle binge drinking and help people to drink sensibly and to discuss what more the industry can do to help.

Anabolic Steroids: Misuse

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls to the National Drugs Helpline were about anabolic steroids in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 7 February 2008
	The National Drugs Helpline ceased in England in March 2003 and no data on calls is available between 1997 and March 2003.
	The Frank helpline replaced the National Drugs Helpline in April 2003 and details of telephone calls since then, where anabolic steroids were mentioned are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of calls 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 257 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 323 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 357 
			 April 2006 to March 2007 358 
			 April 2007 to January 2008 311

Antibiotics: Health Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government has taken to educate the public in the last three years on the correct use of antibiotics.

Dawn Primarolo: As a result of increasing bacterial antibiotic resistance the Department has run awareness campaigns since 1999. The main message is that antibiotics don't work on most coughs and colds and until 2008 the campaigns were based on the 'Andybiotic' character. These materials have been available on our website and formed the basis of our campaign in 2006.
	In addition we supported the distribution of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's Ask about Antibiotics leaflet in 2006.
	This year's campaign uses new material and was launched on 4 February 2008. Advertisements are appearing in weekly magazines and national newspapers during February and March and a poster and leaflets are being distributed to general practitioners and pharmacists.

Cancer: Expenditure

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the NHS's average annual expenditure is on a patient with  (a) breast cancer,  (b) lung cancer,  (c) prostate cancer and  (d) bowel cancer from diagnosis to the end of treatment.

Ann Keen: holding answer 18 February 2008
	Data on the national health service expenditure on cancer is not collected by cancer type. In 2006-07 4.35 billion was spent by the NHS on cancer services, approximately 5.2 per cent. of all NHS spending for that year. Data on this expenditure is not collected by tumour site and cannot be broken down on this basis.

Drug Resistant Tuberculosis

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to prevent the spread of extreme drug resistant tuberculosis.

Dawn Primarolo: Prevention of the emergence and spread of any type of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is being addressed as part of the DOH's overall strategy to improve TB prevention and control through 'Stopping Tuberculosis in England: An Action plan from the Chief Medical Officer' (published in October 2004). As well as improvements to public health surveillance systems, this critically requires fast and comprehensive detection of cases, rapid identification of drug resistance if it exists and good clinical management including measures to ensure treatment is both appropriate and completed by the patient. Patients with drug-resistant strains of TB are treated by appropriate multiple drug therapy for a minimum of six months which also helps public health control by breaking the cycle of TB transmission from infectious patients.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline on the treatment and diagnosis of TB published in March 2006 includes specific guidance on treatment and rapid contact tracing of people in contact with any type of drug resistant TB. The Department's TB toolkit (published in June 2007) aims to help commissioners and TB service providers implement the action plan in line with the NICE guideline.
	NICE recommends that if a risk assessment suggests a patient has multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB, rapid diagnostic tests should be conducted for rifampicin resistance. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) reference laboratory service identifies TB cultures from national health service patients in England and determines if they are drug resistant. The selection of appropriate second line drugs for the clinical treatment of MDR TB and extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB is determined by the HPA National Mycobacterium Reference Unit (MRU), which has recently developed newer and faster methods for drug susceptibility testing. The HPA MRU also carries out DNA fingerprinting on drug resistant TB strains in England to help determine patterns of transmission and is working with the World Health Organization on the surveillance of XDR TB.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of drug addicts who are classified as in treatment.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 18 February 2008
	Between April 2006 and March 2007 (the latest period for which data is available) 195,000 people received specialist drug treatment.
	This is 130 per cent. more people in treatment than in 1998. This means that the target of doubling the numbers in drug treatment by 2008 has been exceeded by 30 per cent.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of addicts receiving low-dose methadone on prescription who are thought to also be using heroin.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 18 February 2008
	This data is not collected centrally.
	Low dose methadone is not recommended in national guidance and should not be a feature of local drug treatment systems. Rather than low-dose', clinicians should ensure that the dose prescribed for each individual is appropriate to their needs and in line with the available evidence base. The recently revised National Clinical technological appraisals on substitute prescribing, published January 2007, clearly states that methadone treatment must be optimised to ensure that each patient receives maximum benefit.

Health

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what key steps the Government plans to take on public health in the next three years.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are taking forward and building on commitments to improve people's health given in the White Paper Choosing Health:making healthy choices easier (2004). This includes developing and implementing key strategies on tackling obesity, smoking cessation, alcohol harm, and sexually transmitted infections. It is also addressing the poorest groups and communities through its programme to reduce health inequalities, which is a priority for the national health service and local government in 2008-09.

Transplant Surgery: Ethics

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration his Department has given to the ethical implications of face transplants; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Clinicians need to be sure that any procedure is safe and that the patient is fully informed of any risks or limitations, in accordance with good professional practice, and in line with General Medical Council guidance. Necessary consent arrangements and tissue matching would need to be in order, as for any other type of transplant. If the procedure is being carried out in the context of research, it would need the approval of the local Research Ethics Committee.
	In the particular case of a face transplant, in addition to ethical approval, doctors may need to get agreement from the Interventional Procedures Advisory Committee which is part of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. The Royal College of Surgeons have now published their report which expressed concerns about the substantial risk of acute or chronic rejection but believed that face transplants could go ahead providing certain conditions were met.

Cabinet Office: Advertising

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of the Cabinet Office's expenditure was on advertising in each of the last 10 years.

Tom Watson: Advertising costs as a percentage of the Cabinet Office's expenditure since 1997-98 can be found in the table as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 1998-99 0.09 
			 1999-2000 0.19 
			 2000-01 0.17 
			 2001-02 1.23 
			 2002-03 0.11 
			 2003-04 0.11 
			 2004-05 0.14 
			 2005-06 0.12 
			 2006-07 0.12 
		
	
	The increase in advertising spend in 2001-02 was due to expenditure incurred by the Office of the E-Envoy (now known as Transformational Government) for the UK Online advertising campaign, encouraging the public to use the internet, and offering help to those wanted to do so.

Social Exclusion: Elderly

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what consideration he gave to social exclusion among older people in developing  (a) the Reaching Out action plan and  (b) the Government's public service agreement on social exclusion.

Phil Hope: 'Reaching out: an Action Plan on Social Exclusion' and the Socially Excluded Adults PSA do not focus on older people as specific groups, but by embodying the Government's emphasis on prevention and early intervention, aim to help tackle exclusion before it begins.
	The Department of Work and Pension's Later Life PSA; the Social Exclusion Task Force-funded research project analysing social exclusion amongst all age groups and the former Social Exclusion Unit report, 'A Sure Start to Later Life: Ending Inequalities for Older People', all focus more specifically on tackling existing exclusion among older people.